You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
It is becoming more and more difficult to escape the influence of the media on our lives. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in a media rich society.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample answer:
Usages and influence of media in our life and society have dramatically increased around the globe over the last few years. It has become a mandatory part of people’s lives as media are everywhere. Youngsters are mostly influenced by media because of its numerous benefits. People of other age groups are also influenced by the media. They are using this in the form of newspapers, television, radio and internet to avail maximum advantages such as information dissemination, entertainment and latest updates of various promotions etc. However, the increasing use of media has some detrimental effects on the society.
There is no doubt that media play a pivotal role in learning. A large number of people are using electronic media to complete their education assignment and projects, for instance, YouTube has a large volume of lectures in the form of videos to assist thousands of viewers. Moreover, media has a diversity of programs to entertain its target audience. It also helps them to increase their knowledge about current issues worldwide. Media often increase our awareness and inform about things that are happening around us. Thus it is a great tool to bring people together.
However, media has also increased people’s woes. In order to increase rating, they are more opted to portray negative news and bad aspects of society that made people tense and increased their worries. Furthermore, people are less perceptive to physical activities because they do not want to skip their favourite television show and thus they become lethargic that makes them susceptible to illness such as laziness, obesity and anxiety. Political biasness, monetary gaining and vengeance are often practices in some media and that has very detrimental effects on our society.
To sum up, I would like to say media has more advantages that outweigh its disadvantages. Media make people independent and give them freedom to raise their voice against corrupt perpetrator residing in government and private institutions. However, students are more diverted to other issues highlighted by media than their focal point, which is education.
[ Written by – Fahad Sultan ]